olympicweightliftingforsports ebook

OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTINGFOR SPORTS

GREG EVERETT

CATALYST ATHLETICS

Coach Everetts Olympic Weightlifting for Sports is an extraordinary product for any sport coachs library. As a proponent of the power clean and its variations for performance training, I found this book to be an outstand-ing reference for teaching methodology for the Olympic Movements. Coach Everett provides user-friendly terminology for the explanations of these movements. This book is a must-have for any coach who imple-ments Olympic lifts in their program.Joe Kenn, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Carolina Panthers

Coaches, make room on your bookshelf for Greg Everetts Olympic Weightlifting for Sports. Thorough, well written, well organized, and full of information & pictures to help make each point understandable. This will help make you a better coach, and in turn help improve your ath-letes potential to succeed. Im excited for Greg and excited to put the information to use!Jim Malone, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, San Diego Padres

This is, by far, the most detailed and thorough book about Olympic weightlifting technique. Greg Everett has done an excellent job in pre-senting and organizing the material in this book. The photos are great. I strongly recommend that any strength coach or sports performance coach own this book if he/she is teaching deep squatting, snatch and clean pulls, and Olympic style lifts. It is well worth the money spent.Ethan Reeve, Strength & Conditioning Coordinator, Wake Forest University

This book is a great addition to any strength & conditioning coachs library. It gives very basic and descriptive instruction that does not com-plicate what a strength & conditioning coach has to teach and coach on a daily basis regarding Olympic style lifts.Kevin Yoxall, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Auburn University

Everett shows you how to utilize Olympic lifting as an incredibly safe and effective tool that improves the speed and quality of movement across all fields of athletics.

Eva Twardokens, two-time Olympian, World Championship bronze medalist, six-time national champion, 2011 USA Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in-ductee

Olympic Weightlifting for Sports is another outstanding book by Greg Ev-erett that breaks down everything you need to know about the specifics

of Olympic weightlifting. I really like the way Greg breaks down the progressions for each movement. Ive always been a big believer in keep-ing things simple and specific for both coaches and athletes. This is a

must-have for anyone trying to understand all aspects of Olympic lifting. All athletes need to understand why they are training a certain way. This book explicitly covers that for Olympic lifting.Jeff Dillman, Director of Strength & Conditioning, University of Florida

Olympic Weightlifting for Sports is an excellent resource for coaches and athletes of all sporting venues. It provides detailed progressions and coaching cues to both effectively teach and learn the Olympic lifts with a mindset on sport utilization. A great addition to any individuals library looking to improve on the Olympic lifts in their program.Jim McCarthy, Netherlands Olympic Speedskating Team

Greg Everett is my go-to resource when it comes to the Olympic lifts. Whether its coaching, program design, or even addressing common lim-iting factors like flexibility, Olympic Weightlifting for Sports leaves no stone unturned. Whether youre a young coach learning the ropes or a grizzled veteran, this book is an amazing resource. Quite simply, if your goal is to teach athletes how to Olympic lift safely and effectively, this book needs to be in your library.Mike Robertson, President of Robertson Training Systems and co-owner of In-dianapolis Fitness and Sports Training

Olympic Weightlifting for Sports is a tremendous resource for strength coaches at all levels. Greg Everett covers all the necessary bases for de-veloping an effective strength program with the incorporation of the Olympic lifts. Beginning and intermediate coaches will be able to learn the fundamentals, while advanced coaches will be able to examine some fresh thoughts and ideas on familiar training topics. All coaches and lift-ers involved in any form of strength training should have this book in their library.Matt Foreman, Author of Bones of Iron

Copyright 2012 Greg Everett

Published by Catalyst Athletics, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the publisher.

ISBN-13 978-0-9800111-4-2 ISBN-10 0-9800111-4-0 Catalyst Athletics, Incwww.catalystathletics.com

Catalyst Athletics, Inc and Greg Everett advise that the exercises and techniques described in this book can be strenuous and may not be appropriate for all individuals, and do not make any claim to the safety of said exercises and techniques. The nutrition information herein exists for example purposes only and in no way represents a prescription for any individual. It is strongly recommended that the reader consult a physician before engaging in any of the activities or practices illustrated or described herein. Catalyst Athletics, Inc and Greg Everett disclaim any and all liability for any injury sustained or condition arising from the performance of any of the exercises or practice of any of the nutrition ideas described in this book.

OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTINGFOR SPORTS

GREG EVERETT

CATALYST ATHLETICS

CONTENTSIntroduction

The Fundamentals

Evaluation

Teaching Progressions

The Squat

Hang Power Clean

Power Clean

Push Press

Power Jerk

Split Jerk

Hang Power Snatch

Power Snatch

Clean

Snatch

Lowering the Barbell

Program Design

Flexibility

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3

10

14

19

22

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38

44

47

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60

66

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76

79

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1OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING FOR SPORTS

INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this book is simple: To provide athletes, coaches and trainers a straightforward and thorough resource to help them incorporate the Olympic lifts and their variants safely and effec-tively into training for sports other than competitive weightlifting. Most weightlifting books are intended for competitive weightlifters, including my own Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches, leaving athletes and their coaches to figure out how to modify and apply the information to athletic goals different from maximal snatches and clean & jerks, and to contend with a level of detail that far surpasses what is necessary for their applications.

When training for a sport other than weightlifting, there is relatively little time available to dedicate to learning or teaching the lifts, and this is often as much a deterrent for their use by coaches and athletes as the complexity, perceived or real, of the lifts them-selves. Additionally, many athletes arrive in programs that might otherwise incorporate the lifts without adequate preparation in terms of flexibility, trunk stability and basic motor patterns, leav-ing coaches and trainers wary of exposing them to the lifts.

My goal with this book is to provide all of the information a coach or athlete needs to teach or learn the Olympic lifts or cer-tain variants both safely and effectively to allow them to capitalize on the benefits they provide with regard to the development of maximal athletic ability. The teaching progressions are intended to maximize effect and minimize time investment without sacrificing safety: to keep the entire approach as simple and straightforward as possible.

The inclusion of the Olympic lifts in some form will help athletes develop physical traits that improve the potential for per-

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formance in nearly any sport. With the help of this book, its my hope that coaches and athletes will be confident enough to take advantage of the lifts and bring their training programs to the next level.

How to Use This Book

The book is split into topical sections that are organized to help the reader learn the necessary elements in a logical order. The first sections will provide an understanding of basic lift mechanics and considerations for ensuring athletes are properly prepared to perform the Olympic lifts. Next are teaching progressions for the Olympic lifts and the most useful variations in the recommended order of learning and implementation. Finally there is a brief dis-cussion of program design and a section on improving flexibility specifically for the safe and effective performance of the Olympic lifts.

Throughout the teaching progressions for the lifts are sum-mary boxes that provide simple and concise descriptions of the associated positions or drills. These can be used as quick reminders while learning or teaching, or they can be used instead of the more complete text initially to simplify as much as possible. However, its recommended that the complete text be read and understood eventually, as it will add important details to the basics presented in the summary boxes.


THE FUNDAMENTALSDefinitions

The inconsistency of terminology with regard to the Olympic lifts within the athletic training community is probably attributable to the obscurity of the sport and the minimal interaction of weight-lifting coaches and weightlifters with coaches and athletes from other sports. Being able to communicate clearly is imperative for coaches to be able to share information and learn from each other. The following are quick explanations of the classic lifts and the primary variants or assistance exercises.

Snatch The snatch is the first of the two lifts contested in Olym-pic weightlifting. The athlete lifts the barbell from the floor to the overhead position in a single motion. The term snatch with no qualifiers implies a full squat in the bottom position.

Clean & Jerk The clean & jerk is the second of the two lifts con-tested in Olympic weightlifting. The athlete lifts the barbell first from the floor to the shoulders with the clean, and then from the shoulders to overhead with the jerk. The shorter movements and more advantageous positions allow athletes to lift more in the clean & jerk than in the snatch.

Clean In the clean, the athlete lifts the barbell from the floor to the shoulders. The term clean with no qualifiers implies a full squat in the bottom position.

Jerk There are three variations of the jerk: the split jerk, power jerk

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(or push jerk) and squat jerk. The split jerk is the most commonly used variation by competitive lifters. In the jerk, the athlete lifts the barbell from the shoulders in a standing position to overhead. The term jerk with no qualifiers implies the lifters chosen jerk style: for weightlifters that will usually mean split jerk; for many athletes, it will mean a power or push jerk.

Split Jerk The most common jerk variation for weightlifters. The lifter receives the jerk in a split foot position.

Power (Push) Jerk The power jerk, or push jerk, is a jerk received with the feet in a squat position and the lifter at partial squat depth (The feet move in the power jerk and stay connected to the plat-form in the push jerk).

Squat Jerk The squat jerk is the least common jerk variation. The athlete receives the jerk in a full depth squat.

Power Snatch The power snatch is a snatch started from the floor but received overhead in a partial squat above parallel rather than a full squat.

Power Clean The power clean is a clean started from the floor but received on the shoulders in a partial squat above parallel rather than a full squat.

Hang Snatch The hang snatch is a snatch started with the bar in any position above the floor and received in a full squat position. The most common hang starting position is the bar just above the knees.

Hang Clean The hang clean is a clean started with the bar in any position above the floor and received in a full squat position. The most common hang starting position is the bar just above the knees.

Back Squat The back squat is often simply called the squat out-side the weightlifting community where the need to distinguish it


from the front squat is less common. This is a squat performed with the barbell racked on the shoulders behind the athletes neck.

Front Squat The front squat is a squat performed with the barbell racked across the shoulders in front of the athletes neck.

Overhead Squat The overhead squat is a squat performed with the bar held in locked arms overhead, most commonly with a snatch-width grip.

Snatch Pull The snatch pull is a training exercise that mimics the first phase of a snatch in which the bar is pulled with a snatch-width grip to complete hip and knee extension. The athlete does not make the attempt to relocate the body underneath the bar, but there is an effort to accelerate the bar maximally. A snatch high-pull involves a continued pull with the arms after the legs and hips have extended.

Clean Pull The clean pull is a training exercise that mimics the first phase of a clean in which the bar is pulled with a clean-width grip to complete hip and knee extension. The athlete does not make the attempt to relocate the body underneath the bar, but there is an effort to accelerate the bar maximally. A clean high-pull involves a continued pull with the arms after the legs and hips have extended.

Press The press is a strength exercise in which the athlete lifts the barbell from the shoulders to overhead exclusively with the upper body.

Push Press The push press is a press that begins with a dip and drive of the legs to accelerate the barbell upward before the upper body engages to finish the push of the barbell into the overhead position.

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How & Why the Olympic Lifts Work

The snatch, clean and jerk can all be split into two basic phases. First is the effort of the athlete to accelerate the barbell upward maximally by explosively driving against the floor with the legs and extending the hips (the jerk is a drive with the legs only). Second is the effort of the athlete to aggressively pull (or push in the jerk) the body down against the barbell to receive it either overhead in the snatch and jerk or on the shoulders in the clean. The first phase is easily understood and practiced; the second is more commonly misunderstood and incorrectly performed. With heavy weights, the athlete cannot simply drop under the bar; there must be an ac-tive and aggressive effort to change the bodys direction at the end of the first phase and relocate underneath the weight.

There are three basic elements to the Olympic lifts benefit to athletic ability. The first is the most obvious: the improvement of knee and hip extension power (power is the combination of strength and speed; we can also call this explosiveness) and rate of force development. This element is trained during the first phase (primarily during the final explosive effort starting when the bar reaches the level of approximately mid-thigh).

The second element is the improvement of an athletes ability to safely and effectively absorb force or decelerate. This is trained to some degree with basic strength work such as squatting, but the nature of receiving the barbell in the Olympic lifts is far more bal-listic and more similar to the demands on ground-based athletes with regard to stopping, changing direction or absorbing the force of colliding opponents.

The third element is the collective improvement of kinesthetic awareness, fundamental athletic motor skills centered around the hips and legs, and the precise and consistent control of body posi-tions and movements.

No other exercises provide training for these things to the same degree, particularly so efficiently.


The Role of the Olympic Lifts in Athletic Training

All athletes must possess a set of physical skills and characteristics specific to their sport and occasionally even more specifically to their position within that sport. These skill sets can vary broadly among sports and athletes, but few athletes will not benefit from improving strength, particularly in the lower body, speed, explo-siveness and the ability to safely and productively absorb force.

Some sports demand a great amount of time to be dedicated to sport-specific skill, leaving comparatively little time for strength and conditioning; other sports, generally because of a more lim-ited number of skills or skill types, allow for and even demand more time to be dedicated to strength and conditioning. Obviously the more power and strength oriented a sport, the larger the role strength and power training will play in the training of the athlete. Arguably the best example of this would be the thrower, who fo-cuses on as little as a single discipline (e.g. discuss, shot, hammer), and whose success depends heavily on strength and power. Strong-man competitors are clearly in need of a great deal of strength, but also must be possessed of considerable stamina and a fair number of skills. Football players also have considerable need for strength, speed and power, but also need to develop to a high level con-ditioning and a fairly wide array of skills. The endurance athlete has the least need for strength and power development, but will unquestionably still benefit from training these qualities to the ap-propriate extent.

When designing strength and conditioning programs for any athlete, its necessary to understand the actual needs of the athlete in terms of the demands of the sport and the present state of athletic development of the individual. What is appropriate and effective for one athlete may be far from it for another.

In some cases, the Olympic lifts will not be appropriate be-cause an athlete does not have adequately developed foundational abilities in terms of strength, flexibility and basic athletic move-ment patterns; in other cases it may impossible to incorporate the lifts because of severe time or equipment limitations and the need to prioritize both training time and training effect. In instances of power athletes training full time, the Olympic lifts may play a

8 GREG EVERETT

significant role and appear both frequently and in relatively high volume in the training program.

Ultimately the role of the Olympic lifts will be determined based on the needs and circumstances of each athlete.

Technical Differences of the Lifts for Athletic Training

There are certain subtle details of the technical performance of the Olympic lifts that may vary in necessity or appropriateness when comparing athletes to competitive weightlifters. The exclu-sive goal of the weightlifter is to snatch and clean & jerk as much weight as possible, and technique will be shaped to meet that end. However, the athlete using the lifts for another sport is interested in developing certain physical traits that will carry over into athletic performance outside the gym, not directly in the amount of weight lifted.

The primary distinction that should be made is that for the athlete, minimizing the risk of injury in the weightroom is para-mount. Moreover, training in the weightroom should contribute to the athletes ability to withstand injury on the field. With this in mind, performing the lifts with the safest possible positions takes priority over possible departure from this merely for the sake of lifting more weight. A simple example is the squat: The competi-tive weightlifter must squat to absolute maximal depth in order to get under as much weight as possible. Occasionally this involves less than ideal mechanics at the knee or hip that for the weight-lifter are worth the risk, but for other athletes are not. This may somewhat limit what an athlete is capable of lifting, but again, the weight itself is not the goal.

Among competitive weightlifters of any level, there are varia-tions in technical style. Generally these are subtle enough to not be noticeable to individuals not steeped in the culture of weightlift-ing. The pertinent example is the dominance of hip extension over knee extension of some lifters to the extent that the development of knee extension power is limited. While this can be an effective strategy for certain lifters for whom it allows a faster transition un-der the bar, its not appropriate for athletes interested in optimally


developing lower body explosiveness that will transfer maximally to performance in their chosen sports. What is presented tech-nically in this book does not necessary represent what would be taught to a competitive lifter: it is specifically intended to provide the most possible benefit to athletes of different sports.

Safety of the Olympic Lifts

Commonly coaches and parents of young athletes are under the impression that lifting weights is dangerous, and Olympic weight-lifting appears to be particularly injurious based on casual observa-tion or rumor.

In fact, Olympic weightlifting is remarkably safe, and the in-jury rate among competitive weightlifters is extremely lowfar lower than the more conventional sports parents are more than happy to let their kids participate in. All sport has the potential for injury, particularly at high levels of competition. However, the overwhelming majority of weightlifting injuries are incurred by in-dividuals with little or no instruction in the lifts who are training improperly in terms of technique, loading and program design. It should be no surprise that athletes with inadequate mobility can hurt themselves trying to perform lifts that demand considerable mobility; nor should it be a surprise that athletes injure themselves pushing lifts beyond their technical abilities, whether in competi-tion with each other or themselves.

According to a chart from the International Weightlifting Federation1, the number of injuries per 100 participant hours for weightlifting in the UK was 0.00172. Compare this to American Football, which had 0.100; US Track & Field, which had 0.570; or US Basketball, which had 0.030.

In any case, the Olympic lifts are no riskier than any other strength & conditioning activity if instructed, coached, performed and programmed properly. Its the responsibility of the coach and athlete to ensure safety in the weight room regardless of the train-ing modality.

1 International Weightlifting Federation: www.iwf.net2 There was no figure for weightlifting in the US available. Presumably participation is too low.

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EVALUATIONA proper evaluation of each athlete will help guide the design of the training program appropriately. The demands of the athletes sport and the circumstances in which the athlete will be training will influence the details of the program. The goal of all program design is to maximize effectiveness within the allowable time and with the available resources. Time and resources can vary widely among coaches and athletes, and as a consequence, programs may look dramatically different, yet all of these programs may be con-sidered optimal.

Sport Evaluation

The most basic step in designing a training program is determin-ing the demands of the sport. Basic athletic characteristics can be prioritized to ensure the appropriate amount of time and effort is given to each element. These characteristics are:

Strength Speed Power (explosiveness) Cardiorespiratory Endurance Stamina (local muscular endurance) Flexibility/Mobility

This list does not take into consideration sport-specific skills; it includes only fundamental abilities that can be trained primarily in the gym.


Athlete Evaluation

General Athletic Assessment Each athlete should be assessed for basic athletic qualities such as strength, speed, stamina, endurance and power. This list will vary somewhat depending on the demands of the sport. Each aspect should be prioritized, at least informally, based on the combination of the sports demand and the athletes present state of development. For example, for a given athlete, strength may not be the first priority with regard to the sport itself, but it may be the area in which the athlete is least developed and therefore it should be prioritized within the training plan.

Basic Strength Movement Proficiency Any athlete wishing to incorporate the Olympic lifts or their variants into a training program should have an established foundation of basic strength movements. Without such a foundation, athletes will typically not be able to use the Olympic lifts effectively both because it will be a much longer and more involved process to learn them, but also simply because they will be unable to use loading adequate to pro-vide a significant training stimulus.

Athletes should be familiar with the squat, deadlift and press at minimum. Those who are not but who are interested in learning the Olympic lifts would be well served spending at least a short amount of time learning these basic strength exercises first. As-sessing an athletes proficiency on these exercises should be done primarily based on mechanics and secondarily on loading; an ath-letes strength in a given exercise is not necessarily reflective of movement quality.

Flexibility & Mobility The Olympic lifts require a certain degree of mobility in the ankles, hips, upper back, shoulders and wrists. Easily the most common limiter on the performance of the lifts is inadequate flexibility. Athletes with flexibility limitations may need to employ variations of the lifts that demand less flexibility, such as power cleans or power snatches, or limitations may be correct-able quickly enough that the athlete can, after a brief preparation period, use the full lifts if so desired. Adequate flexibility will play a significant role in safety both with regard to the Olympic lifts and

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basic strength lifts. Flexibility can be measured for the Olympic lifts best with

certain movements and positions rather than direct flexibility test-ing. The following movements and positions should be tested:

Olympic Back Squat Front Squat Overhead Squat Jerk Rack Position Jerk Overhead Position

An athletes ability or inability to achieve the necessary posi-tions in the previous tests will tell the coach which exercises are immediately accessible and which will require improvements in flexibility before being possible or safe. See the Flexibility chapter of the book for more information on evaluating and correcting flexibility.

Injury History & Limitations Before starting any training pro-gram, an athletes injury history should be considered and any limitations arising from past injuries taken into account. This may encourage the coach to use somewhat different exercises to avoid re-injury or aggravation of an existing injury, or to modify move-ments due to range of motion restrictions.

Circumstance Evaluation

Time How much time will the athlete be able to dedicate to train-ing in total, to strength & conditioning generally, and to the Olym-pic lifts specifically? For high school athletes in particular, training time is typically limited due to facility use and staff issues. In these cases, coaches often need to be creative and focus on efficiency when designing the training program. For non-scholastic athletes, training time may be limited instead by obligations such as work and family, or due to financial restrictions.

Facility & Equipment How much space and what equipment is


available to the athlete and coach? If working with large groups of athletes, are there an adequate number of barbells, racks, platforms and weights? If working as an individual athlete, is weightlifting equipment available as well as space in a facility that allows such use of the equipment?

Staff For professional or semi-professional coaches working with large numbers of athletes, are there an adequate number of quali-fied staff members to assist in teaching and coaching in the weight room to ensure that athletes are performing the lifts safely and effectively?

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TEACHING PROGRESSIONSThe goal for the following teaching progressions is to teach ath-letes to perform the lifts as quickly and easily as possible without compromising safety or effectiveness. Some athletes will naturally learn the movements more quickly than others. Certain athletes may require additional drills to help perform the movements more accurately; others will simply need a greater volume of repetition.

Its important to remember that we are not producing com-petitive weightlifters. Athletes do not need to perform the Olym-pic lifts with technical perfection. However, the more proficient they are, the more they will benefit from training the lifts, and the safer that training will be.

After the initial learning stage, athletes should be encouraged to remain focused on technical execution every time they train the lifts to continually improve over time rather than allowing sub-optimal technique to become habit. If time allows, a few minutes of technique practice can be done as part of the warm-up before Olympic lift training to allow athletes the chance to fine-tune their movements over time.

Despite being taught a standard technical execution of the lifts, every athlete will look somewhat different performing them. This variation will arise from factors such as individual body pro-portions, innate speed and timing capabilities and the extent of technique development at any given time. Its important for the coach to be able to distinguish between such acceptable variation and divergence from safe and effective technique. In no instance should an athlete be allowed to continue performing a lift in an unsafe manner.


Teaching Order

The following progression is the suggested order of teaching the lifts whether all or only some are taught. The hang-power varia-tions of the clean and snatch are taught before the power varia-tions from the floor, both because this is the ideal way to teach them, and also because its likely that many athletes will exclusively lift from the hang. Power variations are taught before squat varia-tions because the power lifts will deliver the most benefit generally to athletes and are also far less demanding on flexibility.

The power clean is first because its the simplest Olympic lift variation for leg and hip explosiveness, yet still very effective. The push press and jerk follows to provide exercises involving some upper body pushing power to complement the lower body power development of the power clean; the push press and jerk are also typically easier to learn for athletes than the snatch. The power snatch follows the push press and jerk because of its greater dif-ficulty, and because of its lesser comparative necessity and utility if the athlete is already performing power cleans. The squat varia-tions from the floor are last because they are the most demanding of flexibility, and will likely never be used by most athletes, both because the time needed to develop them may be more than what is available, and because the benefits they offer over the power variations are not proportionate to the time needed to develop the technique and flexibility.

This order of learning the lifts will also allow athletes to begin implementing some form of Olympic lifting as quickly as possible if developing adequate flexibility to perform the full classic lifts is necessary.

1. Hang Power Clean2. Power Clean3. Push Press4. Power Jerk5. Split Jerk

6. Hang Power Snatch7. Power Snatch8. Clean9. Snatch

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Loading

The following drills are intended to be performed with an empty barbell. Some athletes may need to use lighter technique barbells for certain drills.

Sets and Repetitions

The following learning progressions are comprised of brief drills intended to teach specific portions of the whole movements while being simple and easy both for coaches to instruct and athletes to learn. Numbers have not been prescribedthis is a flexible teach-ing system that can be adjusted according to the needs of the ath-lete or circumstances in a group or team setting.

Generally speaking, more repetitions are better than fewer, assuming the quality of those repetitions remains as high as pos-sible. However, sets should be limited to 5 reps, even when work-ing with empty barbells. Skill work is deceptively difficult even at very light weights and can be mentally exhausting. Each set needs to be performed as well as possible, and athletes cant be expected to perform optimally if fatigued.

Coaches and athletes can determine the appropriate or nec-essary volume of repetitions for each drill. This determination should be based simply on how well the athlete performs the drill. In most cases, athletes should be able to move through the series of drills and begin performing the exercise itself in a single train-ing session. That being said, there is nothing wrong with extend-ing the drill period if it appears to be necessary or beneficial, or to return to some or all of the drills as needed. The same drills used for learning and teaching the lifts initially will also be effective technique drills for athletes already performing the lifts but need-ing improvement in execution.

A simple example, using the hang power clean to illustrate, would be to perform 3-5 sets of 5 repetitions of each drill. If an athlete struggles with any particular drill, more time should be spent on it; similarly, if at athlete performs a drill perfectly on the first set, there is no need to spend more time on it.


Breathing and Trunk Pressurization

With all structural loading, athletes need to properly pressurize the trunk to establish spinal stability. This is critical for both perfor-mance and safety. To properly stabilize the trunk, the athlete needs to expand the abdomen and draw in a full breath. With the breath locked in, the athlete will tighten the abdominal and back muscula-ture forcefully. The abs should not be drawn in or hollowed, as this simply narrows the base of support and decreases stability.

This breath should be taken prior to the initiation of a lift and held for the duration of a rep, excepting a controlled release of a small amount of air during the most difficult segment of a lift. For example, during the recovery of a heavy squat, air can be released as the lifter fights through the sticking point. The key is that only a small quantity should be released while maintaining a tight trunk, generally necessitating some noise with the expulsion.

Any time an athlete feels dizzy or lightheaded during a lift, the lift should be stopped immediately and safely and the athlete should sit down to recover.

The Hook Grip

Weightlifters, when snatching and cleaning, use the hook grip to increase grip security during the explosive acceleration of the lifts. Some athletes will not need to use the hook grip, but all are encouraged to learn it and use it to prevent grip strength from becoming a limiter of the Olympic lifts.

The athlete will press the skin between the thumb and index finger into the bar, then wrap the thumb around the bar as much as possible. The fingers will then be closed around the bar. The The hook grip

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index and middle fingers will be over the thumb: they should pull the thumb farther around the bar as the hand as a whole grips it.

The hook grip will be uncomfortable if not painful initially. Athletes will need to spend some time using it for the hand to become adequately mobile. The learning stages are ideal for this because the weight on the bar will be limited, which will minimize discomfort. The thumb can be taped with elastic athletic tape if necessary.


THE SQUATWhile not an Olympic lift itself, the squat is foundational to the lifts and is a staple strength training exercise. For athletes who will be performing only the power variations of the Olympic lifts, the full squat will not be necessary; however, the squat is discussed here to ensure athletes and coaches are completely prepared if they choose to use the full lifts. Additionally, even power receiving posi-tions are squats in essencethey are simply partial depth squats. The foot position for the squat as described below is the same position in which athletes should receive all lifts, whether power or squat depth (with the exception of the split jerk).

The placement of the feet will dictate how the athlete is able to move in the squat, and this will determine whether or not the squat can be safe. The purpose of the correct stance is to ensure that the knees are hinging properly rather than experiencing rotation, and that the hips are able to move unimpeded through the neces-sary range of motion to achieve the full depth with a sound spine position.

The width of the feet and how much the toes are turned out will be determined by each indi-viduals proportions and mobility. What is necessary is that at any point during the squat, each thigh is parallel to its corresponding foot; in other words, the knee is hinging properly.

The thigh and foot should be approxi-mately parallel with each other when viewed from directly above with the knee over the foot (not inside or outside of the foot).

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The toes should be turned out between about 10-30 degrees to allow the hips to open properly as the athlete squats down. If the toes are directed forward, the thighs must also be directed for-ward to maintain proper knee mechanics; this position will not al-low most athletes to maintain the proper arch in their backs, and will also force them to lean farther for-ward as they squat.

A simple way to find the prop-er squat stance is to simply place the feet just outside hip width and sit into a relaxed squat position. From this bottom position, the width and angle of the feet should be adjusted until the athlete finds a comfortable angle for the hips that also allows the thigh to be parallel with the foot.

Minimum depth for the squat is just below parallelthat is, the crease of the hips is below the top of the knee. When perform-ing the Olympic lifts, ideal depth is achieved when the knee joint is closed as much as possible with the maintenance of complete back extension. Based on how lifters are built, this absolute depth will ap-pear different.

For safe squatting, the mini-

Athletes with shorter upper legs (top) will not be able to sit as low as athletes with longer upper legs and good flex-ibility (bottom).

Squat PositionFeet hip to shoulder width Toes turned out 10-30 degrees Thigh parallel with foot in bottom position Feet flat, weight toward heels Back arched and trunk tight


mum requirement is that the athlete maintain a neutral curvature of the spine. This requires a reasonable degree of hip and ankle mobility that may not be present in many athletes initially. It is strongly recommended that squats not be loaded with significant weight if an athlete is unable to maintain this arch of the back throughout the full range of motion.

The athletes weight should be balanced across the foot with a slight preference for the heel. The squat should be performed with simultaneous movement of the knees and hips to allow the main-tenance of a relatively upright trunk throughout the movement.

The Back Squat

The back squat is the most basic squat variation. The barbell is placed behind the neck between the top of the traps and the top of the shoulders. The shoulder blades should be squeezed back tightly and the bar placed on the bulk of the traps, not in contact with the bones of the neck. A narrower grip on the bar will help this position as well as help keep the upper back extended properly. The elbows should be oriented downlifting them up and back will encourage the chest to drop forward and the upper back to round.

Correct placement of the barbell for the back squat

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HANG POWER CLEANOur first lift is the hang power clean. This is the simplest and most accessible Olympic lift variation, and if an athlete never moves beyond it, he or she will still have a very effective training tool for lower body explosiveness and force absorption. This is also an ex-cellent foundation to learning the rest of the lifts.

STEP 1 Rack Position

Likely the most important element of ensuring safety for athletes when performing the power clean or clean is the rack position, the position in which the athlete will receive the barbell on the shoulders at the completion of the lift. If done properly, this will be a comfortable, secure position; if done improperly, it will place excessive strain on the wrists and elbows in particular.

The first and most important thing to understand about the rack position is that the barbell is supported on the shoulders, not in the hands and arms. The shoulders are pushed forward and slightly up (scapular protraction and some elevation) to create space be-

1 Rack PositionGrip wider than the shoulders Shoulders pushed forward and slightly up Bar between the peak of the deltoids and the throat Hands open and only the fingers under the bar Elbows high


tween the peak of the deltoid and the throat for the bar to rest in. The upper back should remain as extended as possible rather than rounded forward with the protraction of the shoulder blades. The hands are open and relaxed with only the ends of the fingers under the bar and the heel of the palm above the bar. Most athletes will rack the clean with only the first three fingers under the bar. It may require stretching to achieve this position com-fortably.

A starting point for grip width is a half a fist-width to a full fist-width outside the shoulders. This somewhat wider grip will allow better positioning on the shoulders for most athletes, as well as bring the bar higher up on the thighs during the explo-sion phase of the lift and allow a quicker and mechan-ically sounder turnover. Ulti-mately each athlete will need to experiment to find the grip width that suits him or her best. The fingers should never be between the bar and shoulders and there should be no pain aside from initial discomfort due to inflexibil-ity.

Top: Clean grip width; Bottom: clean rack postion

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STEP 2 Hang Position

The hang power clean will begin in a position with the bar just above the knees. The feet should be in the pulling positionapproximately hip width or slightly wider with the toes turned out some-what. With the proper clean grip on the bar, the athlete will set the back tightly in an arch, hinge at the hips, un-locking the knees and sliding the bar down the thigh until it stops just above the knee-caps.

In this position, the shins and arms should be vertical, the back arched tightly with the head and eyes straight forward, the points of the elbows turned to the sides (upper arm internally ro-tated), and the weight somewhat behind mid-foot (more pressure on the heels than on the balls of the feet, but still full foot contact with the floor). As part of the effort to maintain a proper back arch, the lats should be engaged, and this will help push the barbell back toward the body as the athlete extends.

2 Hang PositionFeet hip width and toes turned out slightly Shins and arms approximately vertical Bar just above knee Weight toward heels Back arched and head forward Elbows pointed to the sides

Clean hang position


STEP 3 Jump & Bump

The jump & bump is the explosion phase of the power clean: the violent extension of the knees and hips to accelerate the bar-bell upward. At this point, underscoring that this acceleration is accomplished exclusively by the lower body is important. Under-standing this at the outset will prevent some of the most common errors in the performance of the clean and snatch (and even jerk) and will help ensure that the athlete is reaping maximum benefit from the lift.

Before adding speed to this drill, the athlete will first do a slow movement to feel the proper positions. Starting in the hang position, the athlete will start by pushing against the floor with the legs, keeping the barbell as close to the thighs as possible without contacting them. When the bar reaches approximately mid-thigh, the athlete will extend the hips as the knees continue extending. The bar should come into contact with the upper thighs as the athlete completes the combined hip and knee extension through the active push back of the bar into the body with the lats. In this final extended position, the athletes weight should be more on the heels than the balls of the feet, the bar touching the upper thighs at arms length, the points of the elbows still turned to the sides, the knees straight and the hips very slightly hyperextended, placing the shoulders slightly behind the hips.

Its important that this small degree of hyperextension is actu-ally occurring at the hip, not in the lumbar spine. To ensure this, the glutes should be activated to extend the hip and the abs kept tight to help maintain proper spine position.

When this basic movement is done properly, the balance maintained correctly over the foot, the bar contacting at the upper thigh, and the finish position achieved with proper glute activation,

3 Jump & BumpStart in the hang position Push against the floor with the legs Jump and extend the hips completely Push the bar against the upper thighs

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the athlete will move on to the full-speed drill.

From the hang starting position, the athlete will ini-tiate the move-ment with the same push of the legs against the floor, then

jump as the bar reaches mid-thigh level, extending the hips com-pletely while pushing the bar back against the upper thighs with the lats. The goal at this point is not to do a maximal vertical jump, but to feel the concerted explosion of knees and hips with proper contact of the bar against the body.

During this movement, the athletes arms should remain as re-laxed as possible, being extended only by the weight of the barbell pulling on them. As the jump is completed, the bar should be kept in tight against the body, not allowed to bounce off the legs and swing forward. The athletes feet should be landing on the floor in the same place they started; moving forward or backward indicates that the athletes balance is starting or shifting too far in the direc-tion of movement.

STEP 4 Pull

The pull drill is the first part of the second phase of the lift: the athletes active pull of the body down under the barbell to receive it. This is an often neglected element of the Olympic lifts by ath-letes and coaches, but its necessary both to help ensure a com-plete, and therefore safe, turnover, as well as allow the athlete to lift as much weight as he or she is truly capable of. This is literally an acceleration of the athletes body down under the bar.

Standing tall with the feet in the same position used in the

Jump & Bump


hang start, the athlete will make sure the points of the elbows are turned to the sides and the weight is more on the heels than the balls of the feet. Simultaneously, the athlete will pull down against the bar with the arms and jump the feet out into the squat position, squatting partially down with the effort to pull against the bar. The elbows should move up and out to the sides, keeping the barbell and body in immediate proximity to each other, with the chest up rather than leaning down to the bar. Typically athletes will perform this drill better if they think of moving the feet first before initi-ating the pull with the arms. If the athlete tries to perform them together, the arms will usually lead significantly.

The movement of the feet should be quick and aggressive, with minimal elevationthey should leave the floor only enough to be moved out to the squat stance and reconnected flat with ag-gression. This separation ensures that there is no pressure against the floor initially when the athlete is accelerating downward, and allows the feet to contact the floor completely flat, which will help ensure they are positioned under the athletes center of mass. It may help the athlete to think of punching the heels back down into the floor.

4 PullStart standing tall in the pulling position Pull down against the bar with the arms Jump the feet to the squat position and sit into a partial squat Elbows move up and to the sides

Pull

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STEP 5 Rack

The rack delivery drill allows the ath-lete to practice the proper mechanics of a smooth and accurate delivery of the bar onto the shoulders, which is critical to suc-cessful and safe cleans. The two most important points here are that the bar should come into contact with the shoulders smoothly without crashing down onto them, and that the bar must be immediately se-cured on the shoulders in the proper high-elbow and open-hand rack position.

Standing tall, the athlete will turn the points of the elbows to the sides and ensure the weight is balanced on the foot toward the heel. The elbows should be pulled up and to the sides as high as possible, with the bar in immediate proximity to the body. As the elbows reach this maximum height, the bar should be pulled back

5 RackPull the elbows up and to the sides Spin the elbows around the bar Bring the shoulders up and forward to support the bar Relax the hands as the bar comes to rest on the shoulders and the elbows finish rising

Rack


as the elbows are spun around the bar, guiding the bar to the shoul-ders smoothly. The grip on the bar should be maintained until the elbows have moved around under the bar and begin rising; at this point, the bar should be resting on the shoulders and the hands will be able to open as needed without the bar moving out of place.

This drill can be performed relatively slowly initially if needed to ensure proper elbow movement and a smooth connection of the bar to the shoulders. Eventually the whip of the elbows around the bar needs to be extremely quick.

STEP 6 Hang Power Clean

The final step in the progression is the hang power clean. This is simply the assembly of the previous steps into a single fluid move-ment: Jump & bump, pull & rack. Initially the movement should be practiced with an empty barbell as the previous drills were. This

Hang power clean

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will require conscious control of the power put into the move-ment. At this point, the goal is to develop control over the move-ment of the body and barbell, and part of this is knowing how much force to apply.

From the hang position, the athlete will start with a push of the legs against the floor. As the bar reaches mid-thigh, he or she will explode with the hips while continuing to punch against the floor with the legs, using the lats to push the bar back into the upper thighs. As the hips finish extension, the athlete will quickly jump the feet out into the squat stance, placing them flat on the ground aggressively, while pulling down against the bar with the arms to move the body down. The elbows should be then whipped around the bar into the rack position as the athlete settles into a partial squat receiving position. The athlete should attempt to se-cure the elbows at full height in the rack position as the feet recon-nect with the floor (the feet will reconnect first, but the effort to match them will help the turnover speed).

Note that the hips or thighs are not banging into the bar and bumping it away from the athlete. The athlete is using the lats to push the bar back into the body to create contact, and the hips move forward into the bar as they extend. If the bar is kept as close to the legs as possible prior to this, there cannot be a significant enough collision to cause the bar to bounce away from the body. Along the same lines, the contact of the bar and body is not itself part of the effort to elevate the barits a consequence of ideal mechanics in this part of the lift.

With very light weights, e.g. the empty barbell, athletes will likely not extend the ankles considerably at the top of the pull

6 Hang Power CleanStart in the hang position Push against the floor with the legs Extend the hips explosively with continued leg drive Push the bar back into the upper thighs with the lats Jump the feet out to the squat position Pull down against the bar with the elbows high and to the sides Spin the elbows around the bar and relax the grip


because they will be already trying to get the feet back flat on the floor (this is demonstrated in the photos accompanying this sec-tion; the third photo is immediately after complete extension and the athlete is already starting to pull down). A natural degree of ankle extension at the top of the pull will begin to occur as the athlete moves onto great loading.

When the athlete is comfortable and consistent with perform-ing the hang power clean with the empty bar, weight should be added incrementally. Small increases in weight will allow the ath-lete to progress to the ultimately appropriate weight for that time without changes in technique due to the mentalconscious or notreaction to feeling large weight increases. At this point in the learning process, we want to find a weight that allows the athlete to perform the lift as accurately as possiblethis requires a load greater than the empty bar, but caution should be taken to not ex-ceed the weight that allows proper execution, even if its presently very light. If the movement is practiced well, the athlete will prog-ress quickly to heavier weights; if the weight is pushed prematurely, the athlete will simply deviate from proper technique and develop bad habits that will be difficult to correct later.

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POWER CLEANOnce the athlete is capable of the hang power clean, learning the power clean from the floor is simple (at least in principle) and generally quick. Ath-letes may be limited primarily by inflex-ibility when it comes to setting a proper starting position with the barbell on the floor. This can be addressed over time with flexibility work.

The most diffi-cult part about mov-ing an athlete from the hang to the floor is ensuring proper positioning and timing going into the explosion phase. Athletes will typically try to begin the final acceleration effort too soon, and often will not maintain the proper posture and balance when mov-ing from the floor to a position with the bar at the thighs. If the movement is taught well, these problems can usually be avoided fairly easily from the start. This progression is intended to help prevent this problem.

The power clean


STEP 1 Starting Position

Our first step is teaching the ath-lete the proper starting position. This will be the ideal position for starting the lift, and it may require modification for certain athletes, such as those who are very tall or inflexible.

The feet should be placed with the heels approximately under the hips or slightly wid-er with the toes turned out to whatever degree is comfortable for the athlete as long as its not excessiveusually this is about 5-15 degrees from the center-line. The barbell should rest over the balls of the feet. The shins do not need to be in contact with the bar, but they will be in close proximity.

The athletes arms should be oriented vertically when viewing the athlete from the side. The leading edge of the shoulder will be slightly in front of the bar with this vertical arm orientation. The arms should be internally rotated to direct the points of the elbows to the sides.

The back should be arched completely and tightly with the head and eyes straight forward. The knees should be pushed out to the sides slightly as space between the arms allows. The weight should be balanced over the foot. It should not be dramatically back over the heels with the bar still on the floor.

Clean starting position

1 Starting PositionBar over balls of the feet Arms vertical Back arched tightly Knees out, points of elbows out and head up Weight balanced over the foot

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STEP 2 Halting Clean Deadlift

The halting clean deadlift teaches the athlete how to move prop-erly from the starting position into the position from which he or she will initiate the final explosion effort to accelerate the barbell upward. The pull from the floor to this point is primarily a posi-tioning movement to set up the ideal position to explode from; it is not a direct effort to accelerate the bar itself, although it will begin to create upward momentum on the barbell. The key is teaching athletes right from the start that they will be more explosive if they are patient and time the lift correctly rather than attempting to ac-celerate directly off the floor.

The athlete should set the starting position and create tension against the bar momentarily before separating it from the floor. This will prevent unwanted shifts in balance and position when the bar breaks, as well as allow more force to be generated. Imme-diately as the bar separates, the athlete needs to shift the balance over the feet back to be slightly farther back toward the heels than the balls of the feet.

Moving slowly, the athlete will simply continue pushing with the legs to extend the knees, maintaining approximately the same back angle that was set in the starting position, actively keeping the bar as close to the legs as possible without dragging it. As the bar reaches the knees, the arms should still be vertical as they were in the start position.

Continuing to extend the knees, the athlete will stand until the bar is at the level of mid-thigh and stop. At this point, the

Halting clean deadlift: Start, mid-point, finish position.


knees will be only slightly bent, the shins vertical, and the bar will now be behind the shoulders slightlythe athlete needs to actively push the bar back in toward the body with the lats. Keeping the shoulders over the bar until this point is critical to generating ex-plosiveness. They do not need to be very far forward of the bar, however.

After holding this mid-thigh position for 2-3 seconds, the ath-lete should return the barbell to the floor under control, attempt-ing to reverse the movement as accurately as possible. Initially this drill should be done with light weights and 2-3 reps at a time. The athlete should feel tension in the hamstrings, glutes and back, par-ticularly in the pause position at mid-thigh. This is not only teach-ing the athlete the proper movement and position, but strengthen-ing the body for them.

Once the athlete can comfortably perform the halting clean deadlift, he or she is ready to power clean.

STEP 3 Power Clean

At this point the athlete can perform a power clean from the hang position and is able to lift the bar properly from the floor to the hang position. These two exercises simply need to be combined. Weights at this stage should be kept light enough that the athlete can perform the movement correctly without struggling.

Initially, the athlete should perform the power clean with a

2 Halting Clean DeadliftSet the starting position tightly Separate the bar smoothly by pushing the legs through the floor and shift farther back toward the heelsMaintain approximately the same back angle to keep the arms vertical until the bar passes the kneesExtend the legs until the bar is at mid-thigh Stop and hold this position with the shoulders in front of the bar and the bar pushed back against the thighs

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very slow lift from the floor to approximately mid-thigh. Without pausing here, the athlete will perform the power clean just as he or she did from the hang. This is simply a halting clean deadlift + hang power clean, but with no separation between the two. This slow pull to the hang position helps ensure that the athlete doesnt rush the explosion and provides more time to maintain proper balance and positioning. Generally 2-3 reps per set is advisable, although at this stage, rest between sets can be very brief.

When the athlete is able to demonstrate the exercise prop-erly with this exaggeratedly slow first pull, the movement can be done at a more natural speed. However, it needs to be understood that the pull from the floor to the thigh will always be significantly slower than the explosion from the thighs up. As the athlete pro-gresses to being able to power clean heavier weights, the effort during the first pull will become greater and greater, but the speed of the movement will remain comparatively slow because of the mechanics of the body in that position. Ultimately, the first pull

Power clean


can be as fast as the athlete can perform it without compromising proper positioning and timing.

Two ways to graduate the athletes advancement to the ac-tual power clean more slowly if necessary are using a two-position power clean or a segment power clean. The two-position power clean is simply a hang power clean followed immediately by a pow-er clean. This complex allows the athlete to perform one rep from an easier, more comfortable position, then adds the pull from the floor, giving him or her the chance to focus on setting up to feel the same lift that was done from the hang.

The segment power clean is a power clean with a pause at the hang position. This is simply an exaggeration of the normal stepa slow pull to mid-thigh, a pause to ensure the position is perfect, then a hang power clean. This can be helpful for athletes who are struggling with keeping track of everything theyre supposed to be doing. Once these are going well, the pause can be removed and the first pull to above the knee kept slow as needed.

3 Power CleanFrom a tight start position, lift the barbell slowly to mid-thigh As the bar nears mid-thigh, perform the power clean as practiced from the hangAs consistency improves, the speed of the pull from the floor can be increased as long as it doesnt prevent proper positioning and timing

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PUSH PRESSWith the ability to perform the power clean from the hang or floor, the athlete now has an excellent tool for hip and leg explosive-ness. Before learning the more difficult power snatch, which will provide a similar training effect, the athlete can learn the jerk and its primary variations, including the push press, to provide some upper body explosive exercises, as well as exercises that emphasize the legs over the hips.

The push press is a valuable leg power and upper body strength exercise itself, but also a good step in the progression to learning the jerk.

STEP 1 Overhead Position

The first step in learning the push press is to establish the prop-er overhead position. This will ensure stability and safety for the shoulders, elbows and wrists. The overhead position for the push press will be the same for all press and jerk variations.

With the barbell placed behind the neck on top of the traps and a clean-width grip (half a fist to a fist-width outside the shoul-ders), the athlete will fully retract the shoulder blades and extend

1 Overhead PositionPlace the barbell directly above the base of the neck Forcefully retract the shoulder blades Keep the barbell in the palm


the upper back, maintaining tight abs. He or she will press the bar straight up, maintain-ing the forceful retraction of the shoulder blades. With the elbows fully extended, the barbell should be located directly over the base of the neck with the head pushed forward through the arms slightly.

The elbows should be fully extended and squeezed tightly. The barbell should sit in the palms slightly behind the mid-line of the forearm and the grip should be as loose as possible while maintaining control of the bar.

STEP 2 Press

With the overhead position established, the lifter needs to learn the pressing mechanics of the push press (which will be the same for the punch down under the bar in the jerk). With the same grip on the bar used previously, the athlete will bring the bar to the shoulders, and keeping the upper back extended, push the shoul-ders forward and slightly up to create a shelf for the barbell. The bar should sit between the throat and the peak of the shoulderspushing the shoulders forward will create a slight depression here that will allow the barbell to sit securely.

The athlete should keep the bar in the palms as much as possible rather than allow-ing it to move to the fingers

Jerk overhead position

Jerk rack position

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2 PressStart with the barbell in the jerk rack position Move the head back out of the way to press the bar up and back Move the elbows out and under the bar Finish securely in the proper overhead position

as it would in the rack position for the front squat and clean. The elbows should be spread to the sides and moved down while re-maining at least slightly in front of the bar and the lats pushed out and up to help support the position. This position is very demand-ing of shoulder flexibility and may not be perfect for many athletes initially. The width of the grip can be adjusted in or out somewhat to see if the rack position can be improved.

From this jerk rack position, the athlete will push the bar up and slightly back, moving the head back out of the way as the bar passes. The bar cannot be pressed forward around the face. The elbows should be pushed out to the sides and moved under the bar as the bar leaves the shoulders rather than being left in front of the bar. As the barbell passes the head, it should continue mov-ing back into place over the base of the neck and the head should move forward through the arms to establish the overhead position practiced previously.

From the rack position to the overhead position, the bar must move backward slightlyit needs to move in as direct a path as possible.

Press


STEP 3 Dip & Drive

The primary power ele-ment of the push press is the dip and drive of the legs to accelerate the barbell upward off the shoulders. Athletes need to understand from the start that this movement occurs entirely at the kneesthere is no hinge of the hips.

The feet should be in the drive positionslightly wider than hip width and the toes turned out slightly. With the barbell in the jerk rack position, the athlete will unlock the knees slightly and put ten-sion on the quads, moving the weight to the heels while keeping the whole foot in contact with the floor. Maintaining this balance over the heels, the athlete will bend slowly only at the knees, keep-ing the torso vertical, dipping approximately 8-10% of his or her height (e.g. for a 6-foot tall athlete, the dip depth is approximately 5 - 7 inches). The initiation of the dip must be smooth. At the bottom of the dip, an imaginary vertical line should pass through the end of the barbell, the hip and the ankle.

After reaching the bottom of the dip, the athlete will stand again slowly, maintaining the weight over the heels. If viewing the athlete from the side, the end of the barbell should move in a per-fectly vertical line down and back up.

This slow and controlled dip should be practiced as much as

3 Dip & DriveHold the barbell in the jerk rack position Stand with slightly unlocked knees and the weight over the heels Dip smoothly at the knees only approximately 8-10% of your height Stand again slowly, maintaining a vertical bar path

Dip position

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necessary for the athlete to be consistent with the proper positions and balance. Both are critical for successful jerks.

STEP 4 Push Press

The push press is now simply the combination of the dip, drive and press performed as one fluid movement. Athletes should keep in mind when performing the push press that it is powered primar-ily by the legs rather than the upper body. The legs accelerate the bar upward and the arms simply follow through to bring the bar into the overhead position.

The athlete will hold the bar in the jerk rack position with a loose grip, unlock the knees slightly and settle back over the heels. With a smooth bend of the knees, he or she will dip with a vertical torso and weight over the heels, then immediately change directions at the bottom and drive up powerfully with the legs, maintain-ing balance over the heels. With a forceful leg drive, the athlete will rise somewhat onto the balls of the feet; this is a sign of a proper drive and is not a problem as long as the athletes weight remains back over the heel during this ankle extension.

The speed of Push press


the dip should never become so great that the shoulders drop out from under the barthe bar must remain settled and connected tightly to the shoulders throughout the movement. With this re-striction in mind, the dip can be as quick as possible to increase the elasticity of the movement.

As the bar leaves the shoulders, the athlete will keep the legs tight and straight and push the bar up and back with the arms ag-gressively. Just as in the press, the head must be pulled back to al-low a direct path for the bar to move up and back over the base of the neck. The athlete should secure the overhead position tightly before returning the bar to the shoulders for subsequent reps.

Breath control and trunk pressurization are very important in the push press and jerk to prevent forward collapse of the upper back and forward shifting during the dip and drive.

4 Push PressStart with the barbell in the jerk rack position and weight on the heels Dip smoothly at the knees only Immediately change directions at the bottom of the dip and drive up forcefully with the legsAs the bar leaves the shoulders, push up and back aggressively with the armsSecure the bar in the proper overhead position

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POWER JERKThe athlete is now familiar with the movement of the dip and drive that accelerates the barbell upward, and the mechanics of the arms to continue pushing the barbell up into the overhead posi-tion, which will be the same used to push the athlete down under the bar into the receiving position for the jerk. The next step is to learn the simplest jerk variantthe power jerk.

STEP 1 Tall Power Jerk

The first step is learning to push down under the barbell. Just as in the clean, the athlete will use the arms to move his or her body down under the bar after using the lower body to accelerate it up-ward.

The athlete will stand with the feet in the drive position used for the push press and the barbell in the jerk rack position, then press the barbell halfway up to approximately the level of the fore-head. The head should be pulled back out of the way and the elbows moved out to the sides and approximately under the bar.

1 Tall Power JerkStart with the barbell pressed to forehead level Jump the feet quickly to the squat position Punch down against the bar Land in a quarter squat with the bar locked out in the overhead position


This is the starting position for the drill.From this partial press starting position, the athlete will quick-

ly jump the feet out into the squat position, landing flat-footed, while punching aggressively with the arms against the bar to push the body down into a quarter squat. The athlete should land in the quarter squat with the elbows locked tightly in extension. This receiving position should be held momentarily to ensure stability before standing.

STEP 2 Power Jerk

The athlete needs now to simply combine the dip and drive of the push press to accelerate the bar upward with the punch down against the bar of the tall power jerk to move down into the receiv-ing position.

With the feet in the drive position, weight on the heels, and the barbell in the jerk rack position, the athlete will dip smoothly at

2 Power JerkDip and drive just as in the push press When the leg drive is complete, jump the feet to the squat position As the feet are moving, punch down against the bar Land in a quarter squat with the elbows locked in the correct overhead position

Tall power jerk

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the knees, then drive against the floor aggressively, making sure the trunk remains vertical. As the bar leaves the shoulders, the athlete will quickly jump the feet out into the squat stance while pushing down against the bar with the arms. Just as in the push press, the head needs to be moved back out of the way and the push with the arms directed slightly backward to locate the barbell over the base of the neck. The athlete should finish in a quarter squat with the elbows locked tightly in the correct overhead position. The athlete should aim to lock the elbows out overhead at the same time the feet reconnect with the floor. Just as with the rack in the power clean, the feet will land first, but the effort to time the lift this way will encourage better speed and aggression.

Power jerk


SPLIT JERKThe split jerk is the final jerk vari-ation to learn. It allows deeper re-ceiving positions with much less demand on shoul-der mobility than the power jerk, as well as greater stability. The split foot position also offers some foot-work, balance and hip and ankle sta-bility to the ath-letes training. Its r e c o m m e n d e d that athletes learn to split with both feet forward and to alternate split legs in training to maintain bal-anced flexibility and strength in the legs and hips. Athletes who tend to use a staggered stance with the same foot forward primar-ily (e.g. striking and throwing athletes) can use their normal lead leg more than the other as long mobility and strength disparities are avoided in other manners1.

1 Thanks to Mike Gattone for this idea

The split jerk

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STEP 1 Split Footwork

A proper split po-sition is necessary both for optimizing performance and maximizing safety in the jerk. If want-ing to find the ath-letes natural lead leg, perform a set of walking lungesthe leg with which the athlete naturally steps forward with first will nearly invariably be the leg he or she will be strongest leading with in the split jerk.

The athlete will step into a lunge position with the chosen lead leg, keeping the width of the feet at least the same as in the squat stance. Placing the feet in line with each other or nearly so greatly reduces the lateral stability of the split position. The length and depth of the split should be adjusted until the front shin is vertical and the front thigh is approximately 20-40 degrees relative to the floor.

The rear knee must be bent at least slightly and the rear heel elevated. The athlete needs to keep the balls of the rear foot in contact with the floorhe or she should be up on the toes only. Weight should be evenly balanced between the feetmost athletes will naturally place much more weight on the front foot.

The front foot should point straight forward or very slightly

1 Split FootworkFront foot flat, pointed forward, weight on heel, front shin vertical Front thigh 20-40 degrees relative to the floor Rear heel elevated, foot turned in slightly, weight on balls of the foot Width of feet at least the same as the squat stance Rear knee bent and spine in neutral position Weight balanced evenly between front and back feet

Split position


inward. The heel of the rear foot should be turned out somewhat to keep the foot aligned with the leg. The spine should be neutral and the hips under the shoulders. If the lower back is hyperex-tended in this position, the athlete is most likely not bending the back knee enough.

When the athlete has learned the correct split position, he or she can drill the movement from the drive position to the split. Standing in the drive position, making sure the weight is over the heels, the athlete will jump the feet into the split position, mak-ing sure his or her weight is balanced evenly between the two feet and the hips are under the shoulders. The rear foot should stay very close to the floor as it moves back, and the front foot should be picked up enough to reconnect it flat against the floor in the proper position.

STEP 2 Split Jerk

The athlete now has all the tools necessary to perform the split jerk. However, this lift can be challenging for many because of the introduction of the horizontal foot movement to what was previ-ously confined to a vertical movement. Athletes should understand from the start that the dip and drive of the split jerk is identical to the push press and power jerkit must remain vertical. Only after this vertical dip and drive is completed do the feet split.

The athlete will begin with the feet in the drive position and the barbell in the jerk rack position, the weight back on the heels, and the trunk pressurized and tight. He or she will dip smoothly and drive straight up aggressively, moving the head back out of

2 Split JerkDip and drive just as in the push press and power jerk When the leg drive is complete, jump the feet to the split position As the feet are moving, punch down against the bar Land in a balanced split position with the elbows locked in the correct overhead position

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the way and attempting to push the bar slightly back. As the drive is completed and the bar leaves the shoulders, the athlete will split the feet quickly and punch down against the bar to receive the lift with locked elbows in a balanced split position.

After stabilizing the position, the athlete will step back approx-imately a third of the way with the front foot, then step forward the rest of the way with the rear foot. This method of recovering to a standing position minimizes bar movement and maximizes stability.

Split jerk


HANG POWER SNATCHWith the ability to perform the power clean and the jerk, the athlete now has two tools for explosive training; one that emphasizes the knees and hips together, and one that emphasizes the knees and upper body. The power snatch, first from the hang and then from the floor, will provide another tool to the set that, similar to the power clean, involves both the knees and hips, but is even faster and also involves the element of overhead strength and stability.

The power snatch is often taught to athletes with a narrow grip. In some cases, there is good reason for this. However, here the athlete is encouraged to use the wide grip used by weightlifters for the snatch. For our purposes, this wide grip allows the bar to move into the hips rather than the thighs, which will allow the ath-lete to be more explosive and to extend the hips more completely; additionally, it will allow a better position overhead due to the re-duced demand on mobility.

It should become obvious quickly that the teaching progres-sion for the power snatch is essentially the same as it was for the power clean. The lifts are fundamentally identical, with the excep-tion of the receiving positions and grip width. This has some slight effect on the mechanics, but in principle, the lifts are no different: the legs and hips accelerate the barbell upward, and the arms pull the lifter down under the bar.

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STEP 1 Overhead Position

Our first step is learning the prop-er overhead position in which to receive the power snatch. To find the grip width, the athlete will hold the bar at arms length and adjust until the bar contacts the body in the crease of the hips. This will be the default grip width; adjustments to account for unusual body pro-portions or to work around injury or discomfort can be made subse-quently.

With this snatch grip, the ath-lete will bring the bar to the back of the neck, tightly retract the shoulder blades, and press the bar straight up. The overhead position of the snatch is identical to that of the jerk other than the width of the grip. The shoulder blades will be fully retracted and somewhat up-wardly rotated; the elbows will be extended forcefully and oriented approximately halfway between back and to the sides; the trunk will be inclined forward slightly, the head pushed through the arms, and the barbell directly over the base of the neck; the bar will be in the palms slightly behind the midline of the forearm and the grip as relaxed as possible while maintaining control of the bar.

1 Overhead PositionUse a grip width that places the bar in the crease of the hips when at

arms lengthPlace the barbell directly above the base of the neck Forcefully retract the shoulder blades Keep the barbell in the palm with a relaxed grip

Snatch overhead position


STEP 2 Hang Position

The hang start position for the power snatch is identical to that of the power clean. With the snatch grip on the barbell, the athlete will set the back tightly, hinge at the hips, unlocking the knees and sliding the bar down the thigh until it stops just above the kneecaps. The feet should be in the pulling positionapproximately hip width or slightly wider with the toes turned out somewhat.

In this position, the shins and arms should be approximately vertical, the back arched tightly with the head and eyes straight forward, the points of the elbows turned to the sides (upper arm internally rotated), and the weight somewhat behind mid-foot (more pressure on the heels than on the balls of the feet, but still full foot contact with the floor). As part of the effort to maintain a proper back arch, the lats should be engaged, and this will help push the barbell back toward the body as the athlete extends.

2 Hang PositionFeet hip width and toes turned out slightly Shins and arms approximately vertical Bar just above knee Weight toward heels Back arched and head forward

Snatch hang position

54 GREG EVERETT

STEP 3 Jump & Bump

Just as in the power clean, the jump & bump is the explo-sion phase of the power snatch: the violent extension of the knees and hips to accelerate the barbell upward.

Before adding speed to this drill, the athlete will first do a slow movement to feel the proper posi-tions. Starting in the hang position, the athlete will start by pushing against the floor with the legs, keeping the barbell as close to the thighs as possible without contacting them. When the bar reaches the upper-thigh, the athlete will extend the hips as the knees con-tinue extending. The bar should come into contact with the crease of the hips as the athlete completes the combined hip and knee ex-tension through the active push back of the bar into the body with the lats. In this final extended position, the athletes weight should be more on the heels than the balls of the feet, the bar touching the crease of the hips at arms length, the points of the elbows still turned to the sides, the knees straight and the hips slightly hy-perextended, placing the shoulders slightly behind the hips. Again, its important to ensure that this hyperextension is actually occur-ring at the hip, not in the lumbar spine, through activation of the glutes.

When this basic movement is done properly, the athlete will move on to the full-speed drill. From the hang starting position,

3 Jump & BumpStart in the hang position Push against the floor with the legs Jump and extend the hips completely Push the bar back into the hips

Jump & bump


the athlete will initiate the movement with the same push of the legs against the floor, then jump as the bar reaches upper thigh level, extending the hips completely while pushing the bar back into the hips with the lats. The goal is not to do a maximal vertical jump, but to feel the simultaneous explosion of knees and hips with proper contact of the bar against the body.

During this movement, the athletes arms should remain as re-laxed as possible, being extended only by the weight of the barbell pulling on them. As the jump is completed, the bar should be kept in tight against the body, not allowed to bounce off the hips and swing forward. The athletes feet should be landing on the floor in the same place they started; moving forward or backward indicates that the athletes balance is starting or shifting too far in the direc-tion of movement.

STEP 4 Pull

The pull drill is the same for the power snatch as it was for the power clean. The wider hand placement will typically make ath-letes feel weaker in the movement, and they must be careful to not swing the bar forward away from the body. Again, this movement is the acceleration of the athletes body down under the bar.

Standing tall with the feet in the pulling position, the athlete will make sure the points of the elbows are turned to the sides and the weight is more on the heels than the balls of the feet. Simul-

Pull

56 GREG EVERETT

taneously, the athlete will pull down against the bar with the arms and jump the feet out into the squat position, squatting partially down with the effort to pull against the bar. The elbows should move up and out to the sides, keeping the barbell and body in im-mediate proximity to each other.

The movement of the feet should be quick and aggressive, with as little elevation as possible, and the feet should reconnect with the floor flat.

STEP 5 Punch

In the punch drill, the athlete will learn to finish the pull under the power snatch properly, which actually means a push against the bar. With a snatch grip, the athlete will bring the bar to the back of the neck just as he or she did when first learning the overhead position. The feet should be in the pulling position and the weight more on the heels than the balls of the feet.

4 PullStart standing tall with feet in the pulling position Pull down against the bar with the arms Move the feet to the squat position and sit into a partial squat Elbows move up and to the sides with the bar close to the body

Punch


Just as in the previous drill, the athlete will perform a jump of the feet out into the squat stance while moving down into a quarter squat, but now this movement will be accompanied by an aggres-sive punch against the bar with the arms. The goal is to lock out the elbows completely and forcefully at the same time the feet re-connect flat with the floor with the athlete at quarter squat depth. The athlete should ensure the proper overhead position and bal-ance over the feet before standing.

STEP 6 Hang Power Snatch

The athlete can now put the previous drills together into a hang power snatch: Jump & bump, p

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